No Post Today

I am not posting anything of great value today.  Nor will I be posting anything this weekend.  My fanatical quest to keep up with writing every day has left me very little time to read and comment on other blogs.  I am going to take a little time this weekend and catch up (or at least do the best I can).  I also want to make a few superficial changes to the layout of this site.  If you have any suggestions on that, please feel free to share them.  Otherwise, I will resume posting on Tuesday morning. 

Keep an eye on Twitter as I am going to broadcast out a few of my earlier writings that not too many people saw, but I think may be worth reading.

Have a great weekend, and be sure and check back Tuesday.

A Few Tips On Managing Remote Employees

My company has several operations centers scattered across the globe.  This means that I have responsibilities for employees that work remotely from my location.  Managing remote employees is a real challenge.  Training and communication become exponentially harder, but I have figured out a few tricks to managing remote employees that I would like to share with you now.

  1. Selecting the right employees is crucial:  Selecting the right person for an open job is critical for any manager, but it is even more critical when you are going to be filling a position that will be remote from you.  Communication is the key, and if someone is not a good communicator then you may be setting yourself up for failure if you hire them on.   These are definitely positions I would use multiple interviewers for.
  2. Availability and expectations need to be crystal clear:  What hours are you expecting your employee to be available?  Nail this down and make sure that both of you are clear.  I have seen this issue create a lot of frustration on both sides.  Also what hours will you be available?  If you are in a different time zone then you need to let your employees know when it is okay to call.  If you really don’t mind them calling during off hours then you need to let them know that or what they should do if you don’t want them to call. 
  3. Face to face meeting:  When you are initially starting to build a new relationship with a remote employee then optimally you want to start the relationship off by spending a little bit of face to face time.  If your travel budget allows for this, then it can pay huge dividends.  Face to face meetings are the key to establishing successful long-term remote relationships.  After the initial meeting, I would recommend at least quarterly face to face meetings after that. 
  4. Consistent employee meetings:  I have written previously on the value of conducting one on one meetings each week with all of your direct reports.  If you have remote employees then this is a mandatory practice in my opinion.  Schedule a little time each week that you can go over their goals and the progress they have made against them.  This is also their chance to present any problems they have encountered or concerns that they want you to know about.  These meeting are essential to building an effective relationship with your remote employees.
  5. Establish a feedback loop:  Periodically ask yourself if you are getting everything you need from your remote employees.   Determine if you are communicating enough or whether you need to establish new ways to communicate more.  Get feedback from them.  See what their frustrations are.  What is working well?  What is not working well and what can you do to correct it?

Do you manage remote employees?  What secrets have you learned along the way?

What tips do you have for managing remote employees?

Planning And Practice Make For A Great Presentation

Audience

What is in it for the audience is the most important question that you can ask yourself. (Photo credit: thinkmedialabs)

One of the things I have noticed working with new managers is that they do not like to plan their presentations out.  If they have to deliver a presentation they open up PowerPoint and start making slides.  When they feel like they covered the topic, then they stop making slides.  Some of them will practice it before they go up, and others just present it without ever having gone through it.  A lot of them can deliver a perfectly satisfactory presentation.  It will not knock your socks off, but it will get the job done.  If satisfactory is all you are going for then perhaps you can adopt this style.  If you are looking actually leave a positive impression on people then I would suggest focusing a little more effort on planning and practice.

Planning:   When you learn that you need to deliver a presentation, then the first thing you should do is not open PowerPoint but rather put a little thought into what you are trying to accomplish.  Why are presenting?  What is the message that you are trying to convey?  What do you want people to walk away with and remember?  A lot of times when I ask presenters these questions they either have vague answers or no answers at all.  A lot of times managers will tell me that their goal is to impress the audience.  What does that mean?  I think the goals needs to be a little more specific than that. 

When you are going to speak, consider why you have been asked to speak.  What message are you trying to convey?  Most importantly, why should anyone in the audience care what you have to say?  How can you help them?

Once you have identified what is in it for the audience and what you want them to walk away with the presentation design gets much easier.  After I have figured those things out, then I like to start drafting my presentation, but I generally will do this on paper.  I just sketch out how I going to open, what my major points, what support I will use for each of those points and then finally how I will close.  I want to make sure that I open with something that will grab the audience’s attention immediately and will also let them know what they are going to get from my presentation.  I usually try to open with a quick story that is relevant to the topic.  If I am talking about management, then I might tell a quick story about a poor management decision that I made and how I hope the audience can learn from my mistake.  Everyone loves a good story and chances are some of the audience members have made the same mistake.  What I never do is talk about my qualifications or experience.  Introduce yourself, but don’t spend ten minutes talking about your qualifications.  If you tell a good story and give them something to walk away with that will help them then they probably won’t care what you qualifications were.  They will just be happy they got to hear you speak. 

Once I have the presentation sketched out and I am happy with it, then I open PowerPoint and start designing slides.  Slide design is not my topic today, so I will keep it brief by saying use images often and do not write out full sentences on your slides.  One other thing, don’t cram ten points onto one slide that no one can read.  Use ten slides that everyone can see clearly instead. 

Practice:  This is the other half of the equation and it is also something that new managers tend not to do.  I have had managers give me a lot reasons why they don’t practice.   I have yet to hear a good one.  I have given hundreds of presentations and no one will convince me that practice does not help.   Here are a few quick tips on how to get the most out of your practice sessions:

-           Get as close to the speech setting as you can.  This means using a projector and standing up while you are talking.  If you are using any types of props or visual aids then include them in your practice sessions.  Practice in the room you will be using if possible.

-          Time yourself.  If you are supposed to be speaking for ten minutes and you realize you have 100 minutes of material, then something needs to give.  Either shorten your presentation or work with the meeting organizer to get a bigger time slot.  No one will complain if you sit down a minute or two early, but they tune you out if you start running over.

-          Listen closely to yourself or have a few friends listen in on your practice session.  Does what you saying make sense?  Does it have a good flow?  Make adjustments where necessary. 

-          Do it more than once.  I practice a minimum of three times before any presentation.  Practice does make perfect.

What tips do you have for preparing for an important presentation?

A Simple Guide To Complex Problem Solving

As a manager or a leader, there are going to be times that you are going to be faced with problems that you may not have the solution to.  Many leaders will look to others when they come across this situation.  They will have meetings and discuss the problem, the symptoms and perhaps the repercussions, but no real resolution will come from these meetings.  At best, you will get a few more things to research and then you can have another meeting.  As I am not a big fan of meetings, this is generally not an approach I use.  It is not that I don’t value other people’s opinions, but I would much rather look at empirical evidence to make my decisions on how to proceed.  So how do you adopt an empirical action-oriented style to problem solving style?  I am glad you ask.

  1. Identify the problem:  This is harder than it sounds.  A lot of times people want to address symptoms.  Our companies profit margin is too low is not a problem, it is a symptom.  Possible problems could be that you revenues are too low, your expenses too high or some combination of the two.   You can’t fix the profit margin, but you can fix the revenue or expense levels.   Make sure you have identified the problem and not a symptom.
  2. Come up with a theory on why the problem is occurring:  Try to be as objective as possible at this point without assessing blame.  Here are a few techniques for doing that:
    1. Draw a flow chart of the problem:  Show the beginning, the middle and the consequences.  Put in all decision points.  Pictures help us to see things that we might ordinarily miss.
    2. Look at timing:  When did the problem start?  What else occurred around that time?  Who is involved?  Who is not involved?  Does it get better or worse at some periods, if so when?  What other things are happening during those fluctuations? 
    3. Break it down:  Once you start to identify the problem, see if you can determine the parts of the problem as well as the order in which things tend to happen.  Then play reporter and for each step ask who, what, why, when and how. 
    4. Try to look at it from another perspective:  Does your problem create a problem for anyone else.  If so who?  How does it affect them? 
    5. Brainstorm solutions:  Once you have the problem mapped out, now you can start looking for solutions.  Brainstorm with the people who are closest to the problem.  They are usually the ones that have the best ideas because they understand the nature of the problem better and they are therefore better suited to determine the logical repercussions of any solutions.  Don’t discourage any ideas they come up with how ever wacky they sound.  It may be your lack of understanding that makes the idea seem wacky.  Ask clarifying questions, but encourage their ideas.
    6. Analyze your solutions:  Determine your possible solutions and ensure that they actually will solve the problem.  If you are not confident that any of them will, then go back to step 1.  If you have a couple that may solve the problem, then rank them based on your knowledge.  Consider how fast they can be implemented, how expensive the solution will be to implement, and whether you have the authority and ability to implement them.  Take your best idea or two and run them by your manager and the people who are closest to the problem.  See if there is anything you are missing.  If not, go with your number 1 pick and then implement it.
    7. Make sure the solution works:  Even after going through all of this, your solution still may not work.  Set up metrics to determine if it is working and if you determine it is not then start the process over or move to the next possible solution on your list.

 

The real trick to being an effective problem solver is taking a step back and ensuring that you have indeed identified the problem.  Once you get that right and you process flow it out, the solutions usually become obvious.  Process flows do not have to be pretty.  You can write them on cocktail napkins (trust me I have).

Those are my thoughts on problem solving.  How do you solve complex problems (hint: don’t say by calling a meeting)?

A good process flow can help break down a complex problem.

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How I Learned To Not Be “That Guy”

"No drama" sign with the dramatic ma...

Don’t be the dramatic one in the office. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of the downsides to working in a large corporation is that you encounter a large number of people each day. If you have a large enough group then there are bound to be a few folks that might pluck your nerves.  I would like to believe that I am tolerant of all of the folks that I work with.  I try to learn from each of them, even the ones that may annoy me.  Everyone is capable of teaching us something.  At the very least these folks have taught me a few character traits that I know I need to be mindful of if I don’t want to become “that guy” that people simply don’t want to be around.  It does not matter where you work.  If you are in a large enough organization, then I am sure that you have some of the following people in your office:

  1. Mr. Negativity – Everyplace I have ever worked has had at least one person that can find the negative side of just about anything.  If the company announced that they were going to give a thousand dollar bonus to each employee, then this guy would complain that they are going to take more taxes out of his check.  If you buy lunch for the office, then he will not like the food.  He disagrees with any promotions or changes in company policies.  Do you have this guy in your office?  It is especially tough if this guy is in a leadership position because his negativity will rub off on his entire team.  I can’t stand to be around negative people.  I find them emotionally draining.  They have taught me very valuable lessons though.  Just as you can find a negative side to just about anything, you can also find a positive side.  Look for the positive and embrace it.  If something is truly that bad, then find a way to fix it.  Just sitting around and complaining will not generally solve anything and may just make you the guy (or gal) that people do not want to be around.
  2. Mrs. Drama – Sorry ladies, I picked on the guys for the first one so I am just trying to even it out.  Have you ever worked with someone who shared just about every aspect of their personal lives with the whole office?  You get to hear each personal call they have because they speak loud enough for the whole office to hear when they are yelling at their kids or their spouse on the phone.  In case you miss any part of the call they then recap the whole thing for everyone after they get off of the phone.  You get to hear it all, calls with their doctor, bill collectors, teachers, or maybe a probation officer if you are really lucky.  Just for the record, I have seen men and women that fall into this category, but these folks have taught me that it is best to keep personal matters personal.  Some of the conversations that I have overheard have made me and everyone in earshot uncomfortable.  I don’t want to be this type of person, and fortunately it is not difficult to avoid this scenario.  If you work in a small office where people can easily overhear your calls, then step outside at lunch time and make your personal calls on your cell phone.
  3. Mr. Validation – I have worked with a number of people who seem to need constant validation and praise.  Don’t get me wrong, I like to give praise often to those that deserve it, but some folks can’t seem to get enough of it.  They are constantly updating you with their latest achievements and then patiently waiting for you to rain down praise upon them.  It is not feedback that they want, it is praise.  If you happen to have occasion to give them a little constructive feedback then they are distraught for days.  Those of you that work in small offices may think I am exaggerating this point.  I assure you that I am not.  I could tell you stories related to this point that would make you laugh and cry at the same time.  I appreciate when my boss acknowledges the work that I do, but I have learned to not go looking for that acknowledgement.  Just be pleasantly surprised when it happens.  Don’t get to the point that you are expecting it or waiting for it. 

Those were the top three that occurred to me, but I know there are more that I have missed.  Who do you try to avoid in the office?

A Good Boss Acts As A Shield (Sometimes)

I work in a very technical field.  It is very easy for one of my employees to make a very innocent mistake that has catastrophic consequences.  Then everyone in the company wants to know who made the made mistake.  They want to know how I as a manager am going to deal with it.  They want to know that justice will be served.  It will, but I am going to serve it in my own unique way.

Most of my staff has been with me for a very long time.  They take their jobs very seriously and they are diligent about not making mistakes.  They are not perfect and a mistake can sometimes still happen.  When it does, there is usually no one that feels worse about it then the person that made it.  In this scenario there is really no need for me to do a lot of coaching.  They are aware that they made the mistake.  They already feel more remorse than I would be capable of imparting upon them, and they are extremely clear on the point that they cannot make a habit of making these types of errors.  They have already corrected the behavior and they are completely mortified that everyone in the company knows that they made the mistake.  From a coaching perspective, there is not really much left for me to coach on.  What I can do is offer them a little support.

If they are already punishing themselves for making the mistake, then there is no need for me (or anyone else) to pile on as well.  Instead, I am going to let them know that I have their back and that this too shall pass.  Then I am going to be the buffer between them and anyone else in the organization that wants to see their head on a stick.  It is the manager’s job to take the heat.  When those above me ask what I am doing about the situation, I can look them in the eye and respond with:

“I personally met with the employee and I can assure you that they are abundantly clear that this type of error will not be tolerated.  They fully understand the situation this puts us in, and I am quite confident that it will not happen again.”

In reality, I may have met with the employee and reassured them that they are still a valuable part of the organization and I don’t want them to overreact to this.  They already knew this type of error would not be tolerated, so there was no need for me to actually say it.

I am not suggesting that you never coach your employees when they make an error.  I am a big advocate of coaching.  What I am saying is that in those times that everyone else in your organization is condemning one of your employees, that is probably the time to show them a little support.  They will remember that and be forever loyal in most cases.

I know that I have done some pretty stupid things over the course of my career and I can remember vividly each of the bosses that shielded me from the angry mobs and I can also remember the bosses that just joined in with the mob.

What about you?  Have you ever had a boss that had your back when you made a mistake?  How did it make you feel?

Busy Does Not Mean Effective

An hourglass

We all have the same amount of time, but some of us use it more effectively. Why? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some of you may take offense or disagree with what I am about to say.  It is not my intention to cause controversy, but rather I think this group has proven that we are capable of having an adult conversation so I feel comfortable throwing out topics that may cause a little disagreement. 

In my twenty years of leadership I have learned a simple truth that has proven to have very few exceptions.  People that talk about how busy they are on a consistent basis, are generally not the most effective people in your organization.  The people who talk the most about being busy are generally the ones that are the most insecure about how little they are actually getting done.

A lot of times they are not necessarily unproductive because they are lazy (although I have seen a few cases that did involve laziness) but rather they are just unproductive.   There is motion and action, but very little actually gets accomplished.  I think there are a number of reasons for this:

  1.  They take on too much:  I know people who will not say no to any meeting request.  They will attend any meeting that they are invited to whether it is relevant to them or not.  I am not that guy.  I have no problem turning down meeting requests.  You may think that you are not high enough in the organization to engage in this sort of behavior, but I have made a career of turning down meeting requests.  If I am not sure if that I can add anything to a meeting or if a meeting is actually going to accomplish anything, then I tend to decline it.  If you spend all day in meetings, then you cannot be shocked when you are not accomplishing anything. 
  2. Failure to prioritize:  I have talked about this before, and will likely talk about it in the future.  If you just use a to-do list to determine what you are going to do, then you are never going to maximize your efficiency.  A to-do list is a great start, but it will not get the job the done.  You will gravitate to the easiest things to do on your list.  Very rarely are they the things that have the biggest payback.  They are not the task that will make you successful.  I keep a to-do list every day, but I prioritize that list.  I work first on the things that will make the biggest difference in my life.  Do the things that have the biggest payback first.  In many cases you will find that they are the ones that you least want to do. 
  3. Unrealistic self-expectations:   I am a pretty good estimator of how long it will take me to do certain things.  If anything I tend to error on the side of caution and estimate that a task may take a little longer than it actually does.  Not everyone has this gift.  I know people who regularly fail to estimate their time correctly and as a result they over promise things and take on way more work than they should.  As a result, they always feel stressed about the things that they have to do.  I don’t know if this is an issue for you or not, but I bet that you do. 
  4. They mistake action for effectiveness:  I know several people who I work with that I believe define themselves by how busy they are.  If they are busy, then they must be important and valuable to the organization.  None of my clients know how busy I am.  None of my clients know how busy anyone on my team is.  All of my clients know that we get results.  I am pretty sure that is what creates job security.  If I make my clients happy, and take care of my employees then I will consider myself a smashing success even if I am not running around like crazy each day. 

Without sounding too arrogant (I will let you be the judge of that), I can say that I am one of the most effective people I know.  I see a lot of people each and every day that are far busier than I, but not nearly as effective.  If you feel like you are extremely busy, but not actually accomplishing anything then I would try to focus on the four points I list above.  I am confident that you may be guilty of at least one of them.

What other reasons might busy people not necessarily be effective people?

Tips On How To Hold A Conversation

The Talking Heads live events use the art of c...

Good conversation is an art form. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was talking with a friend the other day about how important the ability to make “small talk” is in your professional career.  There is always a brief bit of chatting before a job interview.  This seemingly innocent conversation may kill your chances of getting hired before the interview ever starts.  I have been sitting one on one with many a CEO and had to make pleasant conversation for a few minutes while waiting for a meeting to start.  Some of those conversations have gone extremely well and helped me personally as well as my employer, and other conversations were a complete train wreck.  I would like to help you to avoid those conversations that are awkward for everyone involved.  Here are a few things I have learned about making small talk:

  1.  Try to do the right amount of talking:  When we are nervous, we tend to talk way too much or not at all.  Both can be a recipe for disaster.  If you find it difficult to catch your breath, then you are probably talking too much.  If there are long awkward pauses, then you may not be talking enough.  Take a deep breath, and relax.  The conversation is likely awkward for them as well.  Make sure you take a pause every now and then to give the other person a chance to talk.  Also try to avoid giving one word answers to questions.  Even if it is a yes/no question, try to elaborate a little on your answer.
  2. Prepare:  One of the things that I think tends to make me a little more nervous is if I feel like I am walking into a meeting unprepared (which happens more often than I care to admit).  If you take a few minutes a do a little research on the person/company you are meeting with then it can really boost your confidence levels.  Do you know anyone else that has met with them?  What were their impressions?  Can they tell you anything about the people you will be meeting with?  Try to take some of the mystery out of the meeting by doing a little preparation.
  3. Listen:  Perhaps the most important step in any conversation.  Actually pay attention to what is being said.  If you’re focused on what you are going to say next and just waiting for your turn to talk, then the conversation is likely doomed unless the other person is very tolerant.  I am what you would classify as a man of few words.  If I have having a conversation and I think you are not paying attention, then I just stop talking.  Even if it is mid-sentence.  The awkward silence tends to get people’s attention.    I tend to engage in active listening where I will make good eye contact and periodically let the other person know I am engaged by making the appropriate comment, “Yes, I see,” “That’s interesting,” or “Oh my.”
  4. Stick to mainstream topics:  If you are having a conversation with someone who you just met or do not know well, then don’t start pouring your heart out to them.  You may be in a bad relationship or have a crappy job, but this is not the time to share that information.  Unless you’re talking to your doctor, try to avoid sharing any health problems that you may be having.  I am a runner and it is amazing how many other people are as well.  If I can work that topic into a conversation then it usually yields ten or fifteen minutes of painless and free-flowing conversation.  If you know of any common bonds that you have with the other person then try to work that into the conversation.

So what are your tips on how to make “small talk” with someone that you do not know well?

Yes, Pecha Kucha Can Make You A Better Presenter

Mythbuster Adam Savage presents at The Last Ho...

Pecha Kucha is much harder than it looks, trust me. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A while back (January 13th to be exact) I wrote a post on whether Pecha Kucha can make you a better presenter.  I explained that I would be using the concept of Pecha Kucha to develop a training program for many of the managers that I work with to see if it could indeed make them better presenters.  I followed through on that, and I now have several conclusions that I would like to share, but before I do I want to recap my previous post.

What is Pecha Kucha?

I was first introduced to the concept of Pecha Kucha when I read the book Presentation Zen (great book if you have not read it).  Pecha Kucha is a simple presentation format where you get exactly 20 slides to deliver your message.  Each slide is automatically set up to advance after 20 seconds.  This means that every Pecha Kucha presentation takes exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The Assignment

When I was developing the program, I had just finished reading Greg Blencoe’s book The Supermanager.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it easy to read so I knew most of my managers would enjoy it as well.  Greg does an excellent job of laying out seven core principles in the book that leaders need to master in order to be effective.  My plan was to have each attendee pick one of the principles and design a Pecha Kucha presentation around it.  They had to explain how the principle was covered in the book, offer some analytical support as to why the principle is indeed important, and then finally offer a few practical suggestions on how we could implement the principle into our daily lives. 

The goal of the assignment was to help them to develop the key skills necessary to be a great presenter.  Pecha Kucha forces you to be brief, use imagery and practice your presentation a lot.  These are all good skills to develop. 

Once I developed the program I ask for “volunteers” to participate.  I had twelve managers step up to the challenge.  I developed my very own Pecha Kucha presentation that explained what Pecha Kucha was and what we were going to be doing.  I then assigned each person a principle (we had to double up on a few of them) and then gave them a copy of the book and the deadlines that they had to hit.

The Results

First, I received a ton of positive feedback on the book.  They really enjoyed it.  Secondly, everyone across the board said that it was much harder than they anticipated it being.  They had to practice repeatedly to get the timing correct.  There was no question that each participant felt like they learned something in the process that they felt would make them a better presenter.  They also greatly appreciated learning about the Pecha Kucha concept.  None of my managers had heard of it and I think some of them may even try to find a local Pecha Kucha group to join. 

I have done a lot of training with my managers, but I have never seen them work as hard or as enthusiastically as they did on this program.  Honestly, I think it was something a little different and perhaps a little scary that took us all out of our comfort zones. 

If you have never done a Pecha Kucha presentation, then I highly recommend giving it a try.  I think it will help you to be a better presenter.  I don’t know that I am going to conduct my future presentations in the Pecha Kucha format, but it was nice to break from my routine to put this whole program together.

I am a big fan of Pecha Kucha as a training tool.  Has anyone else ever delivered a Pecha Kucha presentation?   If so, did you think it was a valuable experience?  Did it take you out of your comfort zone?

How I Spot True Leaders

A rose-cut synthetic diamond created by Apollo...

Do you have a leadership diamond in the rough? How can you tell? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am constantly critiquing the leadership talents of those above and below me in the organization.  I believe in a lot of cases that I can spot a good leader relatively quickly.  For a long time I thought maybe I could instinctively spot a good leader, but I don’t think that it is instinctive at all.  I think that there are a few tell-tale signs that can quickly give you an indication of whether you are dealing with a true leader (keep in mind that true leaders may not have a fancy title, but that does not mean they are not leading).  So what are the indicators that let me know I am dealing with a leader?

  1.  Action Oriented:  When they see a problem, the start developing solutions.  They get input and then they start moving towards a resolution.  They don’t put together committees and set up meetings.  They have a bias towards action and they have the results to prove it.  These are the people who meet their goals and make their numbers.   
  2. Relationship Builders:  It is tough to be a leader if no one is willing to follow you.  True leaders inspire confidence.  They jump in and help others when they need it.  They are able to build effective networks throughout the organization.  When they speak, you can see people focused on them.  When everything is going badly, employees will run to them. 
  3. They Smile In The Face Of Adversity:  When things are going well, it is easy to be the leader.  You just walk around handing out praise.  When things are not going so well, being a leader gets exponentially harder.  Difficult decisions have to be made.  Difficult conversations need to be had.  Some people will crumble under the pressure and others live for it.    If you are going to lead me, you need to stay cool when the pressure is on.
  4. They Develop Those Around Them:  A true leader is giving.  They should make an effort to develop the talents of those around them, even if they do not have any responsibility for managing those around them.  They will jump in and help other employees when they fall behind.  They will help people to be more efficient in their jobs.  They will communicate any new things that they learn to others. 

What am I missing on this list?  How do you spot a true leader? 

How do you rank on these four questions?  What can you do to improve your leadership potential?

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